Clothing the Loop: Sustainable Fashion and Circular Design Festival
Australian Dance Party, Kelli Donovan
6 + 7 November 2026
Day + Time | Friday 6pm – 11:30pm | Saturday 9:30am – 4:30pm
Location | Canberra Institute of Technology, Woden, 36 Bradley Street, Phillip ACT 2606
Multiple Events | $16.50 – $90 | Booking required
Access | Wheelchair accessible, accessible bathroom, accessible parking, assistance animals welcome
Where fashion meets activism, performance meets purpose, and dissent becomes a work of art.
Across one vibrant weekend, Clothing the Loop unfolds as a spectacular evening event and a full day of activities including; panel talks, clothes swaps, installations, fashion displays and a parade, live performance and practical workshops celebrating sustainable fashion, circular design, and creative activism.
Presented by Australian Dance Party, Kelli Donovan and Canberra Institute of Technology, and held on the first weekend of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival, experience runway glamour, edgy contemporary dance, sensorial music and stimulating conversations that invite powerful dialogue towards change.
Join us for joyful rebellion against waste and over-consumption. The festival re-imagines what it means to design, wear, and value materials and craftsmanship, re-framing them as threads that stitch together care, creativity, and collective action.
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Celebrating 10 years in 2026, AUSTRALIAN DANCE PARTY (ADP) is a leading contemporary dance company based on Ngunnawal Country, Canberra. We create bold, socially responsive work that energises public space, activates cultural dialogue, and inspires audiences.
As the ACT’s largest employer of professional dance artists, ADP plays a pivotal role in sustaining the independent dance sector. We are consistently offering opportunities for viable careers in contemporary dance, supporting established artists, fostering emerging voices, and enabling return pathways for artists with strong ties to place.
Our work thrives at the intersection of dance, place, and purpose, presented in unconventional spaces such as national institutions, botanic gardens, solar farms, urban developments and waterways. Based at Gorman Arts Centre, we lead unique cross-artform collaborations and grow the visibility of Canberra’s cultural voice nationally.
SEE WEBSITE HERE -
Kelli Donovan is an award-winning sustainable fashion leader, circular design specialist, educator and creative director with over 30 years of experience driving change in the fashion industry.
As founder of Pure Pod – Sustainable and KELI Studio, she has led the development of ethical fashion through circular design, natural fibres and responsible sourcing. Kelli partners with designers, artists, educators and industry to champion sustainable fashion through consulting, education and public engagement. She is also the founder and creative director of Clothing the Loop, Canberra’s sustainable fashion festival, which unites designers, performers and the community to celebrate circular fashion, creativity and climate-conscious design.
SEE WEBSITE HERE -
Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is proud to partner with Clothing the Loop as part of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival, bringing together creativity, design, education, and sustainable practice.
Through CIT’s College of Technology & Design, the collaboration creates opportunities to connect students, educators, industry, creatives and the wider community through hands-on creative experiences and conversations exploring new approaches to reuse, making, and sustainable design.
The partnership reflects CIT’s commitment to supporting creative learning, industry collaboration, and innovative approaches to a more sustainable future.
To find out more about CIT’s courses, please visit our website Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)
Proudly supported by ACT Government City of Design funding and Canberra Institute of Technology
Images | Clothing the Loop 2025, produced by Australian Dance Party and Keli Studio | Photography by Ghetto Media